Timeless Thoughts #4 – Christmas

Timeless Thoughts is a monthly blog linkup hosted by Tara and Georgie where each month you discuss something you miss or are feeling nostalgic about.

This month my Timeless Thought is going to be about Christmas.

Growing up, Christmas was a big deal in our house. My Dad and I aren’t religious and were never baptised and my Mum is a lapsed Catholic but that didn’t matter.. it was never about religion for us anyway and more about having fun, giving and receiving presents and my Mum always really liked putting up the tree. Even if you would find little plastic leaves and strings of Tinsel around the house for the next 6 months.

I don’t remember too many early Christmases, not the actual day anyway, mostly I just remember Christmas by presents and not year. There was the year I got my BMX, the year when I was older and got a different bike, the year I got coloured pencils with my name on them for school (I was not so impressed that year) and all of the years where I had a massive stocking stuffed with gummy bears. Santa was the one who brought the gummy bears, I pretended to believe in him for a few years after I had worked it out because of them – who can resist gummy bears!

As I got older I remembered the lunches (it was always Christmas lunch for us), if it was at our house we would try and convince everyone a bbq was the best thing because then you didn’t have a Turkey in the oven in the middle of summer – I never understood why that is a tradition here.. why is Turkey a Christmas tradition at all? And the family (and a few strays) would come around and we would stuff ourselves with various kinds of meats and roast vegetables (I always loved the potatoes) and chocolates and chips and drink until we could drink no more.

As the years went by Christmas wasn’t as fun any more, there was none of that childlike excitement and many of the people that used to come around moved away. Add to that, my parents getting divorced (and later cutting my Dad out of my life) and there wasn’t much left of the Christmas of old and, eventually, I didn’t really mind.

These days there are no decorations or a tree but there is the Christmas lunch, dinner or brunch depending on which family can be fit in where and a few gifts given and received but mostly, for me, it’s about having a few days off and relaxing at home. For 2015 on Christmas day, we didn’t have to be anywhere until dinner time and it was nice to not have to rush about thinking about where we had to be and what we had to bring and simply just enjoy pancakes for breakfast and lounging on the couch in a Chocolate induced coma. Maybe this can be my new Christmas tradition.

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7 thoughts on “Timeless Thoughts #4 – Christmas”

Christmas to me has always been a massive family gathering thing where we have turkey, stuffing, and other Korean dishes with the Western ones. I’d much rather celebrate a quieter, low-key Christmas, but that’s never the case, so Christmas to me is not actually my favourite day. If anything, the only thing I like about Christmas is that it’s a day off from work, haha! XD

Christmas has changed for me so many times, I’ve had so many different traditions due to changing circumstances. I have to admit that the idea of a chilled day and a chocolate induced coma sounds pretty heavenly.

I was a stray in another families Christmas this year. It was the strangest sensation, feeling so welcomed yet so out of place. And so different to anything I’ve ever experienced. Think I want to try and make a ‘just me’ tradition this year.

It was very interesting to read your ‘Christmas story’ because they can be very different for each of us. It would have been a strange situation when everything changed, but I am kind of glad it didn’t happen when you were really young.

You have to celebrate in your own way. It’s your time to relax and have a break. :D

I find it really weird that a baked dinner is kind of a social norm, especially when the weather can be so hot. I guess it is linked back to our connection with ‘borrowing’ traditions from other countries. xD

I find that as my sisters and I got older, Christmas spirit died with us. In our family, Christmas was celebrated up until I started high school and since then we haven’t really celebrated since both parents are busy with work and all that jazz. But now that I’m not living under my parents’ roof, I can start my own Christmas tradition and celebrate it (or not) however I want to.

I think for next Christmas, I’ll probably attempt to make a nice dinner instead of have Japanese Ramen for lunch like I did this past Christmas.

For my family, Christmas was always about spending time together since we weren’t religious either. We didn’t do stocking stuffers, but I would love one with gummy bears. They’re so addicting! I’m not a big fan of turkey, so I think BBQ is a great replacement :)

That’s too bad that Christmas isn’t as fun anymore :( I feel the same way, mainly because it’s become kind of stressful to find gifts for both my family and my in-laws. We still celebrate together though and have Christmas dinners with both sides. I think taking it easy and enjoying pancakes and chocolate would be a nice new tradition!

I’m so glad you enjoyed your Christmas regardless of the changes that have occurred over the years!

My Christmas this year was very different – usually we celebrate with my mum’s extended family on Boxing Day, but this year I’m not super happy with a few family members and I knew if I went I’d put a downer on Christmas for everyone else, so I chose not to go. It was actually kind of nice to have a quiet, relaxed Christmas this year! So I can definitely relate to you on that one!